Advice for Children and Young People

Sport is fun! It gives you the opportunity to make new friends and try out new activities.

However, for a few children the fun is spoilt by adults who do or say things during sporting activities or at other times that hurt or frighten them. What these children are experiencing maybe abuse, they may feel they have no one to talk to about it or that no one will listen to them or believe what they say.

If you think that you may be being abused, or are worried that it might be happening to a friend, it is really important that you tell someone so that they can help you:

Tell an adult you trust as soon as possible. This could be; a parent or someone else in your family; another member of staff at the sports club; a teacher or school counsellor; your doctor or school nurse.
You can also visit the Childline website for more information.

Your club should have a child protection officer. Find out who they are and tell them about your worries. If there isn’t someone you feel you can talk to, you can contact:

Childline – Dial 0800 1111. It is a free, 24-hour helpline for children & young people in the UK. You can call them about any problem, at any time – day or night.

Helpful local numbers for children’s social care teams:

Darlington – 01325 346867

Hartlepool – 01429 284284

Middlesbrough – 01642 726004

Redcar and Cleveland – 01642 771500

Stockton – 01642 527764

Out of office contact for emergencies – 08702 402994

Local police child protection teams – 01642 326326

In an emergency dial 999

Tees Valley Sport for more info: 01642 342287

The information above has been adapted from the CPSU website.

Thanks to our young advisors from Carmel RC College Darlington who have helped to develop this section of our website.

If you need information or documents in another format or language, please email c.woods@tees.ac.uk or call 01642 342287